Derek Birch

Associate

Derek is an experienced shipping and marine energy lawyer.  He returned to private practice in London in 2024, after 6 years leading FD&D and legal / insurance teams with a leading P&I club and shipowner in Singapore.  His practice is focused on contentious dry shipping and commodity trading disputes, including off-hire claims, demurrage / detention, bunker quality, speed and performance, B/L cargo quality & shortage claims, and deviation.

Derek also has experience of handling liability disputes arising out casualties, including dock damage, collisions, groundings, pollution, GA events & wreck removal. Derek has acted for P&I clubs, shipowners, charterers, oil majors and trading houses.

Notable work highlights include:

• Acting on behalf of shipowners in a landmark Court of Appeal LOI decision.
• Advising slot charterers and co-ordinating multi-jurisdictional proceedings arising from a 1000+ TEU containership stack collapse at sea.
• Representing insurers in a USD200m+ claim for anchor damage to a newly laid pipeline in a North Sea gas field.
• Negotiating wreck removal contracts following the sinking of a bulk carrier in the North Sea, and assisting with the performance monitoring of the wreck removal operation to determine payments due under the contract.
• Successfully recovering disputed GA contributions for Owners following a contested salvage claim.
• Obtaining a staying order from the Japanese Court in favour of Singapore limitation proceedings to the benefit of owners in relation to a ship collision, cargo and pollution claims.
• Advising on sanctions matters following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
• Assisting owners and charterers to identify and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on operations and contractual liabilities.
• Acting for owners, charterers and their insurers on a broad spread of legal disputes related to marine, energy, and commodity trading contracts in the English Courts & at arbitration.